Fife Lake, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Fife Lake's normal year runs from 10°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 35.3 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.1°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 26°C, 896 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationFife Lake (2 mi WNW)
- Station IDUSC00202783
- Location44.58°N 85.37°W
- Elevation1,052 ft (321 m)
- Population471
On October 23, the normal high in Fife Lake is 53°F and the normal low 33°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Fife Lake.
- Jan 25° 10°
- Feb 28° 11°
- Mar 38° 16°
- Apr 51° 29°
- May 65° 40°
- Jun 75° 51°
- Jul 79° 55°
- Aug 77° 53°
- Sep 71° 47°
- Oct 56° 36°
- Nov 42° 27°
- Dec 31° 18°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Fife Lake each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 10°F. The most precipitation falls in October (3.90 in), the least in February (1.65 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25°F | 10°F | 17.7°F | 2.31 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 28°F | 11°F | 19.5°F | 1.65 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 38°F | 16°F | 27.1°F | 1.93 | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 51°F | 29°F | 40.0°F | 3.30 | – | <1 | 23 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 65°F | 40°F | 52.8°F | 3.38 | – | <1 | 8 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 75°F | 51°F | 63.0°F | 3.20 | – | <1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 79°F | 55°F | 66.9°F | 3.48 | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 77°F | 53°F | 65.4°F | 3.51 | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 71°F | 47°F | 58.7°F | 3.34 | – | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 56°F | 36°F | 46.3°F | 3.90 | – | <1 | 10 | 11 h |
| November | 42°F | 27°F | 34.5°F | 2.95 | – | <1 | 25 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 31°F | 18°F | 24.3°F | 2.33 | – | <1 | 29 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 33°F | 43.0°F | 35.28 | – | 4 | 184 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4°C | −12°C | −7.9°C | 59 mm |
| February | −2°C | −12°C | −6.9°C | 42 mm |
| March | 3°C | −9°C | −2.7°C | 49 mm |
| April | 11°C | −2°C | 4.4°C | 84 mm |
| May | 18°C | 5°C | 11.6°C | 86 mm |
| June | 24°C | 10°C | 17.2°C | 81 mm |
| July | 26°C | 13°C | 19.4°C | 88 mm |
| August | 25°C | 12°C | 18.6°C | 89 mm |
| September | 21°C | 8°C | 14.8°C | 85 mm |
| October | 13°C | 2°C | 7.9°C | 99 mm |
| November | 6°C | −3°C | 1.4°C | 75 mm |
| December | −1°C | −8°C | −4.3°C | 59 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Kalkaska (14 miles away), gets 132 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00202783; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Fife Lake?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00202783.
When is the last frost in Fife Lake?
In Fife Lake, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 24 in half of years and after June 6 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 18 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 241 year in 10 after June 6; 9 in 10 after May 7
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 18; 9 in 10 before October 15
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 130 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 156 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 9 in half of springs and before October 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fife Lake in zone 5b in ZIP code 49680, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Michigan · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00202783; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Fife Lake?
In a normal year in Fife Lake, 4 days a year reach 90°F and 184 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 184a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 84high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00202783.
How sunny is Fife Lake?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Fife Lake, 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (79%) and December the cloudiest (47%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 52% | 1.3 |
| February | 59% | 2.2 |
| March | 67% | 3.5 |
| April | 67% | 4.6 |
| May | 71% | 5.6 |
| June | 75% | 6.2 |
| July | 79% | 6.2 |
| August | 77% | 5.3 |
| September | 75% | 4.1 |
| October | 62% | 2.4 |
| November | 55% | 1.4 |
| December | 47% | 0.9 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Fife Lake need?
A normal year in Fife Lake brings 8,270 heating degree days, 54% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 280 cooling degree days, 69% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,940 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,467 | 0 |
| February | 1,274 | 0 |
| March | 1,175 | 0 |
| April | 752 | 0 |
| May | 389 | 9 |
| June | 112 | 50 |
| July | 54 | 113 |
| August | 67 | 78 |
| September | 219 | 30 |
| October | 582 | 1 |
| November | 917 | 0 |
| December | 1,263 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,270 | 280 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00202783. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Fife Lake been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 43.4°F, 0.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 43.0°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 43.4°F | +0.4°F | 32.72 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00202783. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Fife Lake's climate compare?
Fife Lake is warmer than 25 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 86. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 43.0°F is warmer than 12%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Fife Lake is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Fife Lake share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Kingsley, MI1,445 people · 8 mi W
- Buckley, MI775 people · 16 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Fife Lake's climate
What is the coldest month in Fife Lake?
January, with a normal high of 25°F and a normal low of 10°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 55°F at night).
Does it snow in Fife Lake?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Fife Lake's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Kalkaska (14 miles away), records 132 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Fife Lake?
October, with 3.90 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.65 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Fife Lake in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Fife Lake in zone 5b in ZIP code 49680, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Fife Lake?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 24; in one year in ten it comes after June 6. Waiting until June 6 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- South Boardman, MI4 miles from this station, 44.6°F a year
- Kalkaska, MI14 miles from this station, 43.0°F a year
- Traverse City, MI15 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- Traverse City Munson, MI18 miles from this station, 45.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made